The Kyuubi gave me a sharp look, and calmed himself. “No. The minds of elder beings can not be molded or compelled the way lesser creatures can. But our senses can be deceived.”
“Great. So Konoha has yet another hidden enemy. I’m starting to think I should just level the place and start over.”
“Rebuild on a different site. The stink of arrogant self-righteousness will linger about the current one for millennia. But you interest me more than those ants, kit. How is it that you stand before me as a warrior seeking arms, when your little mind should be a twisted wreck? Who are you to shout back into the teeth of my anger, when most of your kind would die of sheer terror?”
I realized with a start that he was right. The killing intent that still filled the chamber made Orochimaru’s aura seem weak by comparison, but I’d hardly noticed it.
“I don’t know.” I answered. “I know that there’s something odd about my mind, something I can barely even put into words. Before the loops I was afraid to even acknowledge it. It’s like there are two of me. Not separate personalities, but two aspects of the same me. The Uchiha that tried to enslave me thought he’d broken us both, but my other self slipped free somehow. That and his carelessness gave me the chance to get away, and I’ve spent the time since then putting myself back together.”
“I’m not sure, but I think your other question has the same answer. I’ve never been affected much by killing intent, even when I’m hopelessly outmatched. Because my other self can’t be cowed by anything.”
“Does any of this make sense to you?”
The Kyuubi laid down with his head on his great paws, and gazed at me intently. “Come closer, kit, and let me see you.”
I stepped gingerly to the edge of the cage, watching the great beast closely for sudden moves and being careful to ensure that no part of me crossed the plane of the bars. Even if what he’d told me was true, he might still make a snack of me if I gave him the chance.
“I see.” He rumbled thoughtfully. “One soul, two aspects. Healer and warrior, controlled thinker and wild temptress. But no family scent or mark, so it isn’t a recent cross-breeding. Tell me, kit, do you know where bloodlines come from?”
I considered the question. “Well, a few of them were created recently through unscrupulous medical experiments, or by modifying older lines. But most of the major bloodlines are supposed to be a result of interbreeding with supernatural beings. The older bloodline clans claim to trace their ancestry all the way back to the Chaos Era, when kami and demons roamed the Earth at will. Some medics think that’s why ninja have such a high rate of spontaneous mutation as well — there are all sorts of strange recessive genes floating around in the gene pools of the ninja villages, and sometimes a combination comes together that actually does something obvious.”
“Is that where you’re going with this? That I’m some kind of sport, with a trace of demon or dragon ancestry that makes me different from normal people?”
“Yes. Your body is human enough, but your soul is shaped more like a kami. Too weak to cast off mortality, but strong enough to manifest aspects and shape itself to fit your need. That mutability might serve as the weapon you seek, if you can master it.”
“Aspects?” I frowned. “Is that just a fancy way of saying I have a split personality?”
“A human might think so, but is it insanity when you can remake yourself whenever you so desire? Real kami used to create an aspect for every kind of power they pursued, each perfectly suited to it’s purpose. You seem to be wasting the ability on some foolish quest to run away from yourself, but that isn’t the point. Kami souls are mutable in ways that mortals are not. Learn to master that ability and you can make your own mind a maze of traps and guardians and hidden refuges. It won’t make you immune to the Eyes of Misery, but it would give you the chance to fight back.”
“I see. Lovely. It sounds like it would be awfully easy to drive myself insane that way.”
“Perhaps. Mad kami were certainly common enough in the old days. But it’s the only weapon you have.”
“True. Well, that just might do the trick, and it’s certainly not something I would have guessed. Thank you.” I stepped away from the bars, intending to leave before he dropped any more disturbing revelations on my head. But there was one more thing I had to ask. “You told me all that without demanding payment. Why?”
“You can repay the favor when we reach the end of the braid, and time runs smooth again.”
The idea of repaying him outside the loops, when it would actually matter, didn’t exactly fill my heart with joy. But somehow it felt…fair. Balanced. The bit of knowledge he’d given me could end up saving my life, and more.
“Agreed.” I replied reluctantly. A strange sense of finality settled around me at that, as if there were more to the exchange than empty words.
He chuckled again. “Kami indeed. Grow strong, little godling.”
This time I swallowed my questions, and left.
“Alright Ino, hit me again.”
There was a distinct shortage of friendly Sharingan users in Konoha to train against, so I made do with what I had. Ino’s possession technique was a much weaker attack, but you have to start somewhere.
My first few ideas for defeating the technique hadn’t worked, but this time I had a better approach. Instead of trying to block or resist the attack I opened myself to it, dropping smoothly into my own mindscape instead of letting the battering ram of chakra bludgeon me unconscious. I found myself in a forest clearing, facing a girl who looked just like my Sexy form.
“That’s progress.” I said with a smile. “You’re me, right?”
“You betcha.” She replied with a feral grin. “Now you’re gonna sneak back out and kick her butt, right? The way out’s right there.”
“Thanks. I figured you could show me the way.”
She pointed to a door set into the trunk of one of the massive trees. A huge padlock held it shut, but found that I had the key in my pocket. I went to open it, but stopped with my hand on the lock.
It was made of fear. Fear of my other self, and everything she represented. Fear of loosing control. Fear of being too forward, too violent, too socially unacceptable. All the fears that went away when I used the Sexy Technique, but came right back when it ended.
To hell with that.
“I’m tired of being afraid. Especially of you.” I opened the lock and threw it into the forest, then turned and handed my other self the key.
“I don’t want there to be any more barriers between us.” I said. “Come with me, and we’ll take care of Ino together.”
She laughed, and swept me up into a hug with more strength than I’d ever had. “Finally! I was starting to think you’d hide me in the basement forever!”
Then she pinned me to the tree and kissed me like I’d never been kissed before. We flowed together in a rush of giddy excitement as the world faded away, and I opened my eyes a moment later to find myself looking at Ino’s unprotected back. We were still in my head, and she was blocking the way out.
I snuggled up behind her with a giggle, and slipped one hand under her top to cup her breast while the other headed south. “Hey there Ino-kitten. Having fun with my body?”
“Eep! Sakura? What the hell?”
“Payback time, sexy. Heaven Viewing Technique!”
Ino never could resist a good seduction illusion. Soon she was putty in my hands, and in a matter of minutes I was back in control. After that it didn’t take much practice to reach the point where I could reliably roll with her attack and turn the tables, or let it hit me and have my other self pull an ambush instead. Our fights inside my mind seemed to work just like they would in the real world, which meant they never lasted for long.